The flowering of the cherry blossom is a powerful symbol of hope in Japan. The first buds open in the south in March and within six weeks the whole country has celebrated the blossom's return as a signal of new beginnings; the new academic year begins and young workers traditionally embark on their first jobs. Intrigued by this unique national celebration, and by Japan's rapid modernisation in the last sixty years, Lowell Sheppard sets out on a six week adventure through the 2000 mile length of the country, following the flowering of the blossom as it progresses north. Travelling on a bicycle, he experiences at close hand both everyday Japanese life and the glorious visual feast of the blossoms as he visits 100 viewing sites before the season is over. But when it ends, the sense of national disillusionment is tangible... This intimate encounter with the Japanese at their least inhibited reveals how they are coping with the transition from modernity to post-modernity and asks whether hope is to be found, or whether it is as elusive and fleeting as the cherry blossom.

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly popular way to experience our national parks as many are restricting access to private vehicles. This complete adventure guide to the national parks of Arizona and New Mexico features more than 80 road and mountain bike rides through the parks' most spectacular natural areas. The outstanding variety of natural environments and terrain found in the Southwest, coupled with its rich cultural and historic heritage, make the national parks of Arizona and New Mexico a cyclist's paradise. With this book as your guide you can ride to a secluded overlook of the Grand Canyon from the North Rim; glide through the Sonoran Desert in the company of massive saguaro cactus; or pedal among the ancient ruins of the Anasazi at Chaco Canyon. The routes and trails in this book are suitable for both road and mountain bikers from novice to expert. They traverse the beautiful and enchanting landscapes of the desert Southwest, while taking you to some of the region's most fascinating historical and archeological treasures. Each ride description includes a detailed map, tour directions, information about the trail or road surface, the length and difficulty of the ride, and sights you'll see along the way. A trip-planning appendix for each park tells you where to stay or camp, do your laundry, eat, buy supplies, and repair or rent a bike.

The classic guide for beginning and intermediate cyclists is back—and it’s better than ever. With the latest on bikes, gear, and training techniques and new sections on short tours, and touring abroad, this new edition of The Essential Touring Cyclist promises to appeal to a whole new population of aspiring cyclists. Whether you’re heading out for five hours or five months, this vividly designed, heavily illustrated, and resource-rich guide delivers everything you need.

Explore the beautiful Hudson River, from New York City to Albany. "Paths Along the Hudson is at once a hiking guide that details the salient features encountered along the way, and a Baedeker to the geography, geology, history and ecology of the Hudson, as seen from the paths that trace two shores. It's the kind of book that you can peruse in your den prior to hitting the trail or stow in your backpack as a resource to be consulted as you wind your way north. Also, if you've never hiked seriously before, Perls' book contains several excellent introductory sections to the gear, footwear and clothing necessary for enjoyable trekking."-The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) Jeffrey Perls brings together the culture, history, nature, and recreational activities along the Hudson River in one convenient guidebook. He not only maps out walks and bike trails, both urban and rural, but also introduces readers to the landscape, geology, history, and culture of the Hudson Valley region. Paths along the Hudson provides a practical and geographically comprehensive guide to exploring the area on foot and by bike. The trail routes bring readers as close to the river as possible and guide them to rewarding vistas, nature preserves, and historic landmarks. What you will learn in Paths along the Hudson: .How to find beautiful, practically unknown areas accessible by New York City public transportation. .Where is the most magnificent trail along the Hudson, with woodlands, beaches, cliffs, and forests? In New Jersey. .What you will need to make your explorations enjoyable, safe, and fun for everyone from the serious hiker to parents and kids. .The cultural and social history of the entire region. Jeffrey Perls is a twenty-year resident of the Hudson Valley. He is a mental health therapist, environmental activist, and outings leader.

This fact-filled, user friendly training log for the average cyclist includes checklists and space to record the essentials--date, distance, time of ride, course, and speed--plus lots of useful and fun facts.

Written toward the turn of the nineteenth century by Frances Willard, the founder of the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) and well-known suffragette, A Wheel Within a Wheel offers lively insight into the mind of an independent woman who also reflected the temper of her times. Brave enough to take up bicycle riding when she was fifty-three years old, Willard reported that her bicycling costume "consisted of a skirt and blouse of tweed, with belt, rolling collar, and loose cravat, the skirt three inches from the ground; a round straw hat, and walking-shoes with gaiters. It was a simple, modest suit, to which no person of common sense could take exception".

'Inspiring... proves anything is possible if you just believe and give it a go' Sun 'Masses of heart... frank and funny' Melanie Sykes 'Gritty and glorious' Ruth Field 'Thrillingly honest and hopeful' Jools Walker ***************************************** Rachel is a cyclist. But she was never meant to be. After gaining mental strength and healing through running, she thought she was free. Her depression alleviated, she came off antidepressants, winning races and collecting medals at marathons. But when an injury stopped the only thing helping to quiet the voices in her brain, Rachel found out what she is truly made of. As body dysmorphia began to grip her in earnest, she knew she had to find a different way to kick her mental health demons for the sake of her sanity. So, she went down to her cellar, heaved out her old bike, and started pedalling. Like her life depended on it. A Midlife Cyclist is a tale of two wheels, across the Yorkshire Dales, Vietnam, Costa Rica and beyond, and a rider in search of peace. Includes exclusive Q&A with Jools Walker, aka Lady Velo ***************************************** Praise for Running For My Life: 'Heartwarming' Jo Pavey 'Brave and inspiring' Ruth Field 'I love Running For My Life' Louise Minchin

Cycling the open road has its pleasures but it can also be intimidating, especially for the novice or the parent with young children. Fortunate, there's another option for those cyclist who have something a little more peaceful and recreational in mind: the paved bike path. Free of cars, red lights, and exhaust fumes, recreational paths are popping up everywhere. In The Best Bike Paths of New England, Wendy Williams has done you the favor of finding them in advance.

Organized by state, The Best Bike Paths of New England is the only comprehensive listing of these community treasures, describing forty-five paths and detailing everything you'll need to know about each one:
-- A map of each state showing you where the path is
-- A detailed description of the path, including mileage
-- General background, including the history of the path and any useful tourist information
-- The level of difficulty, type of scenery, and condition of pavement
-- Availability of food and bathrooms
-- Directions, including the most accessible parking area

Whether you want to coast alongside the send dunes of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, climb the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or explore Maine's Acadia National Park, there's a bike path waiting for you. So fill your water baffle, pack a lunch, pump up your tires, and prepare for a great ride!

Cycling the open road has its pleasures but it can also be intimidating, especially for the novice or the parent with young children. Fortunately, there's another option for those cyclists who have something a little more peaceful and recreational in mind: the paved bike path. Free of cars, red lights, and exhaust fumes, recreational paths are popping up everywhere. In The Best Bike Paths of the Southwest, Wendy Williams has done you the favor of finding them in advance.Organized by state, The Best Bike Paths of the Southwest is the only comprehensive listing of these community treasures, describing fifty-six paths and detailing everything you'll need to know about each one:
-- A map of each state, showing you where the path is
-- A detailed description of the path, including mileage
-- General background, including the history of the path and any useful tourist information
-- The level of difficulty, type of scenery, and condition of pavement
-- Availability of food and bathrooms
-- Directions, including the most accessible parking area

Whether you want to explore San Francisco's East Bay, discover Arizona's breathtaking Sabino Canyon, or cruise along Nevada's Truckee River, there's a bike path waiting for you. So fill your water bottle, pack a lunch, pump up your tires, and prepare for a great ride!

In 2008, Mark Beaumont smashed the world record for cycling around the world, by an astonishing 81 days. His race against the clock took him through the toughest terrain and the most demanding of conditions. In 2009, Mark set out on his second ultra-endurance challenge. And this one would involve some very big mountains. The Man Who Cycled the Americas tells the story of a 15,000 mile expedition that once again broke the barriers of human achievement. To pedal the longest mountain range on the planet, solo and unsupported, presented its own unique difficulties. But no man had ever previously summited the continents' two highest peaks, Mt McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina, in the same climbing season, let alone cycling between them. Oh, and Mark had never even been up Ben Nevis before. Full of his trademark charm, warmth and fascination with seeing the world at the pace of a bicycle, Mark Beaumont's second book is a testament to his love of adventure, his joy of taking on tough mental and physical feats, and offers a thrilling trip through the diverse cultures of the Americas.

'I pulled off my glasses and wiped my eyes. "That was perhaps the last race of my career..."' Deep down, Mark Cavendish thought he was finished. After illness, setbacks and clinical depression, the once fastest man in the world had been written off by most. And at the age of 36, even he believed his explosive cycling career would fade out with a whimper. The Manxman hadn't won a single Grand Tour stage in Italy, Spain or France since 2016. But then came his incredible resurrection at the 2021 Tour de France. Included on the Deceuninck Quick-Step team at the very last minute, only after Sam Bennett suffered an injury, Mark set about rewriting history. He claimed back the green jersey he first wore in 2011, and his four stage victories finally saw him matching Belgian legend Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. Cycling greats are never content, and Cav's dogged determination and inner strength had earned him the record that few believed he could ever achieve. This is his own intimate account of that race, right from the saddle of the miracle tour.

'An evocatively thoughtful wider history of the race, the war and the peace' GUARDIAN 'Occasionally funny and regularly poignant, brilliantly focused in its research . . . His drive, wit and curiosity inform Zone Rouge . . . gently profound and genuinely moving' HERALD The Circuit des Champs de Bataille (the Tour of the Battlefields) was held in 1919, less than six months after the end of the First World War. It covered 2,000 kilometres and was raced in appalling conditions across the battlefields of the Western Front, otherwise known as the Zone Rouge. The race was so tough that only 21 riders finished, and it was never staged again. With one of the most demanding routes ever to feature in a bicycle race, and plagued by appalling weather conditions, the Circuit des Champs de Bataille was beyond gruelling, but today its extraordinary story is largely forgotten. Many of the riders came to the event straight from the army and had to ride 18-hour stages through sleet and snow across the battlefields on which they had fought, and lost friends and family, only a few months before. But in addition to the hellish conditions there were moments of high comedy, even farce. The rediscovered story of the Circuit des Champs de Bataille is an epic tale of human endurance, suffering and triumph over extreme adversity.

From the Grand Depart in Utrecht, to the cobbles of northern France and the majestic mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, the 2015 Tour de France provided breathtaking excitement and spectacle all the way to Paris. This official review captures in detail the gripping battles for the yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys, as the titans of cycling went wheel-to-wheel over three drama-filled weeks. With stunning photography and detailed reports of every stage, Le Tour de France 2015 - The Official Review is a wonderful record of a Grande Boucle that hit new heights, broke records and confirmed its status as the greatest race on earth.